


In This Life

by sunnysidedown



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, M/M, Reincarnation, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-04-04 12:06:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4136868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnysidedown/pseuds/sunnysidedown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of drabbles, shorts, and other things that happen sometimes.</p>
<p>Chp 2 summary: It started when Sasuke kept on falling out of trees. Tsunade found it was a disruption in his chakra system. He would jump, his chakra would fluctuate, and he wouldn’t have the base physical strength to control his flight. Next his jutsu began to backfire. Then his sharingan stopped working. And then he was bedridden with a body unused to having chakra to mask aches and pains and to hold him together in general. Sasuke was dying and there was nothing they could do about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In This Life

In this life, Naruto was a lion, an angry lion. He was captured young and forced to fight. His every step left a trail of blood. The people cheered when he entered the arena, ready for another show. But there was something different about the man with hair as dark as night and eyes to match. It made him pause his attack, his swipe for the man’s throat. Naruto could not kill him, not this time, not this life. The sword the man thrust through Naruto’s chest felt right. Because in this life, Naruto was a lion and Sasuke was the gladiator who slayed him.

 

In this life they were not friends, for Sasuke was a king and Naruto his subject. Only once did their eyes meet. Sasuke led the parade and Naruto watched from the crowd. Naruto didn’t know if Sasuke felt it but Naruto did – the spark, the familiarity, the connection. And in that life that’s all that was needed.

 

In this life, Naruto was alone. He lived out his life and found his own kind of happiness, but deep in a corner of his heart, he was always waiting.

 

In this life they were children, never to become more than that. They met in a hospital, Sasuke with leukemia and Naruto with a brain tumor. Naruto was happy with the time they had but it was lonely when Sasuke died.

 

In this life, Naruto was a tree and Sasuke was a squirrel. In exchange for Sasuke planting Naruto’s seeds, Naruto was his home. Naruto protected Sasuke from the snow, but Naruto could not protect him from the fire. Sasuke was born in Naruto’s branches and he died in his branches. But at least in this life, they died together.

 

In this life, Naruto thought as his eyes connected with the onyx eyes of the Uchiha boy across the training field, I can’t wait to meet you.


	2. You Did Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It started when Sasuke kept on falling out of trees. Tsunade found it was a disruption in his chakra system. He would jump, his chakra would fluctuate, and he wouldn’t have the base physical strength to control his flight. Next his jutsu began to backfire. Then his Sharingan stopped working. And then he was bedridden with a body unused to having chakra to mask aches and pains and to hold him together in general. Sasuke was dying and there was nothing they could do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst, angst, and more angst. I've been cleaning out my rough drafts.

Naruto flipped another page in his book. He wasn’t the most avid reader, but he needed something to do while he waited for the next time Sasuke would wake. Sakura was worried and brought him the book. Told him it would help distract him from Sasuke’s ghostly form. From a glance, the bed looked empty, only white sheets and a blob of black hair.

Another page flipped as the steady whirl of the machines filled the room.

Soft movement drew Naruto’s attention to Sasuke’s bed. He watched as Sasuke’s eyes flickered behind his eyelids. Tsunade said he was dreaming when that happened. Naruto hoped it was a happy dream. Sasuke deserved some happy dreams. The eyes slowed as a frown twisted Sasuke’s face. Then his cheek twitched and his eyes slowly opened. He sluggishly blinked up to Naruto.

“Naruto?” Sasuke croaked. His lips blue and cracked, eyes barely open.

Naruto was up in an instant with a cup of water. He brought it Sasuke’s lips and he drank a sip before coughing half of it up. It dribbled down is chin, down his neck, soaking the collar of his hospital gown. Naruto was quick to mop up what he could with a napkin.

“How are you feeling?” Naruto asked.

Sasuke’s eyes lowered to almost shut as he took a deep breath in and held it. For a moment Naruto thought he fell back to sleep. He exhaled slowly and opened his eyes. “Naruto. I’m dying.”

“No, you’re not!” Naruto protested immediately abet weakly. He threw out his hand to clutch Sasuke’s. “I won’t let you.” His voice whispered. He tried to ignore the icy feel of Sasuke’s hand, the weak squeeze he gave him, the boney digits. He tried to ignore the way Sasuke’s once shiny black hair was now dull and limp, how his cheeks were sunken in, how he was too thin and too light.

But Naruto knew. No amount of willpower and determination would fix Sasuke. He was broken beyond repair. The hard life he lived when he was outside the village doomed him to a short life.

“Naruto…” Sasuke said catching his attention again. “I’m scared.”

Naruto was there meeting Sasuke’s arms in an embrace, Sasuke lying in bed while Naruto awkwardly leaned down over him from his bedside chair. “Sh, Sasuke, I’m here.”

“Naruto, I can’t- I haven’t- I haven’t-“ Sasuke stuttered a cough. “There’s so many things I haven’t seen. There’s so many things I haven’t put right. I haven’t done anything yet. I can’t die. I don’t want to die.”

“Sasuke, it’s okay,” Naruto reassured. “You’ve done so much. Remember the Takahashi kids and how you helped them rebuild their cities? Or, or how about the old lady that used to live next to me? How you saved her from some bandits when she was visiting her son? And you can’t forget how you managed to fix the treaty between Taki and Ame with only a pair of chopsticks and some creative thinking? Even I was impressed with that one.” Naruto rubbed circles into Sasuke’s back. He had ended up half lifting Sasuke off the bed with his hug he was so light.

He pulled back a little and saw Sasuke’s eyes squeezed shut, tears leaking out the corners. “Sasuke,” Naruto whispered lightly kissing each of his eyelids and then his forehead. “You did good.”

Sasuke seemed to fall asleep to Naruto’s words, tears still leaked from the corners of his eyes. His breath slowing until it finally stopped.


End file.
